Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1887-05-07

g,..cu is tie Gaest orange country in lie
world and the fruit OF which sells at higher
prices than any other. Some Of the best
land of this region is susceptible OF
drainage. Hamilton Dsston, the saw
millionaire of Philadelphia, has organ
lied company for its reclamation. If
you will look at the map Of Florida you VIII
see that there are number of lakes joined by
rivers which finally pour their waters into
the great lake of Okeechobee. Disston bought
100000 acres of land in this region at
twenty-five cents an acre and entered into
contract with the state Of Florida by which
he was to have half the land which he re-
claimed. he has dug wide bitches from one
OF these lakes to the other until he now has
stream of water running through them
OF into the Gulf of Mexico The top
most lake OF his system is, /
think, lake Tohopekaliga, and this is about
sixty feet higher than the waters Of the gulf.
lie has continuous fall from the head OF
this lake to the gulf, and he has redeemed, it
is said, such an amount of land as to give his
company the right to 100000 acres. The
work is still going on, and great area of
valuable territory will be recovered. The
lands included in the Disston purchase are
the best in Florida They will make, it is
said. the best sugar lands Of the United
States, and this win be our great sugar coun-
try of the future.
ga
In this region also cocOanuts and pineapples
are grown, and the cocoanut industry is
being largely cultivated in south Florida.
Pineapples and cocoanuts pay very well. Ten
thousand pineapples can be raised, it is said,
to the acre, and an acre of ground viii SIP
port fifty cocoanut trees. The cocOauut trees
require little cultivation. They begin to ear
at from to y years Of age, and they
produce from 50 to $50 nuts TO the tree. Co
coanuts bring about five cents apiece TO the
grower, and supposing ten acre grove "iI
yield 10000 nuts it would bring in an income
Of 81 900 a year. There have been many
cocoanut groves planted within the last two
or three years in south Florida. Mr.. Field,
of Middletown, N j., has about $50, 600 trees
They are planted twenty feet apart each way
on a strip of land in Dade county, near the
Atlantic ocean. Mr.. Field thinks that the
ground along the ocean is the best for the
cocoanut In Monroe county there are
also some groves, and at Charlotte harbor,
on the Gulf of Mexico, there are trees
which produce 800 and more nuts apiece
annually. There are 325 600 trees now in
Monroe county, Of which $4,000 were set out
last year. Florida grew about 100000 dozen
pineapples last year, and the day may come
when it wiz supply to the United States the
most OF its tropical fruits. Cen. Grant said
that Florida was capable Of supplying the
tropical fruits now used in the United States
and all of the 500 600 coo worth Of SUGAR
now imported. and in his opinion
it afforded the best opening in the
world for young men of small means
and great industry. I think this is true
to a certain extent. But the pioneer needs
more capital to begin his life here than in the
western states. Orange growing and cocoanrt
growing require time before they begin t.
yield profit, but when the profit does come
It amply compensates the few years Of wait
mig FRANK G. CARPENTER.